Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday applauded the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision striking down many of the Trump administration's tariffs, calling the ruling a major constitutional victory.
The high court found that President Donald Trump improperly invoked an emergency statute to impose broad tariffs on U.S. trading partners, ruling that such authority rests with Congress alone.
"In Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, our Supreme Court has reaffirmed that the Constitution grants Congress — not the President — the power to tax," Pence wrote on X following the ruling. "American families and American businesses pay American tariffs — not foreign countries. With this decision, American families and businesses can breathe a sigh of relief."
Pence, who has frequently clashed with Trump on economic policy since leaving office, has consistently warned about the potential consequences of sweeping tariffs on U.S. consumers, workers, and employers.
In an exclusive interview with The Hill after the tariff announcement last April, Pence branded the move a "misstep."
"I don't think the American people were voting for what would amount to the largest peacetime tax hike in American history, which, the tariffs that were announced last week, if left in place, would certainly be, and the hardship they'd place on working families and businesses large and small," he said at the time.
Pence is the founder of Advancing American Freedom, a conservative advocacy organization that promotes limited government and free-market principles.
In his social media post, Pence noted that the group's amicus brief program collaborated on the tariff legal challenge.
"With this historic decision, America can now return to the pursuit of Free Trade with Free Nations under the Constitution of the United States!" Pence wrote on X.
In the wake of the decision, the former vice president also posted an excerpt from Justice Neil Gorsuch's concurring opinion, calling it "wisdom" and "principle."
"For those who think it important for the Nation to impose more tariffs, I understand that today's decision will be disappointing," Gorsuch wrote. "But if history is any guide, the tables will turn and the day will come when those disappointed by today's result will appreciate the legislative process for the bulwark of liberty it is."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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